Car-coupling



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. H. WARD. Gar Coupling.-

.No. 230,310. v I Patented July 20, I880.

I I I NJETERS, FMOTmumoennusn, WASHINGTON D c v 2 Sheets-Sheet; 2. W. H.WARD. .v

v Oar Coupling.

No.2-30,370. PatentedJu|y-120,l8 80 N.PE[ERS, PHOTO-LIT nOGRAiHER,WASHINGTON, D, c,

UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. WARD, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,370, dated July 20,1880.

Application filed January 22,1880.

To all whom it may concern:

of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of whichthe followingis a specification.

My invention relates toimprovements in car-couplers in which thecoupling is made antomatic by the forcible joining of the cars, andwhich is adapted for use with passenger and freight cars; and theobjects of my said improvements are to provide means by which thecoupling-pin is supported in vertical position beneath the draw-head forbeing coupled and uncoupled, in connection with a plug or detent-slidewithin the draw-head and a leverspring connected with a slotted lever,that supports and operates the pin by which to effect the automaticcoupling, to hold the pin and its lever in secure positions for beingcoupled, to maintain such coupling with safety, and the pin and itsdetent-slide kept free from freezing tight within the draw-head.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents an endelevation of a coupling embracing my invention, the link being shown ascoupled; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, a similarView to Fig. 1, the pin being in uncoupled position; Fig. 4, a sectionof the same; Fig. 5, a top view, showing the platforms of two coupledcars. Figs. 6 and 7 are end views of the coupler as applied tofreight-cars, and with the pin in uncoupled and coupled positions. Figs.8 and 9 are modifications.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures.

The construction of the flaring-mouth drawhead A is the same as shown inmy patent of March 12, 1878, No. 201,312, and which is adapted toreceive a plug or slide-detent, B, by which the pin K is held invertical position to eifect the automatic coupling, not from above theplatform Z, as in said patent, but from below the draw-head, which, asshown, is provided with followers 0 G to receive a strong spring, I,between them, and upon which the draw-head pulls or pushes the cars.

The draw-head is secured by yoke draft rods connected with thefollowers, which are arranged, as shown, at the rear end of thedraw-head, and which are fastened to the drafthead ti in hers of theplatform by the side frames,

D, as in my said patent, or.in any suitable manner.

The coupling-pin K works from beneath the draw-head and in verticalopenings therein, and when in uncoupled position is supported againstthe under side of the plug or slide-detent B, as shown in Fig. 4, saidslide having been forced out over the upper end of the pin by a spring,M, adapted to bear against the inner end of said detent-slide, and thussaid pin is held in position for being coupled with the link 0 when thecars are brought together and the link strikes and forces back theslidedetent, allowing-the pin to shoot up through the link into theopenings in the draw-head, as shown in Fig. 2, in which position theslidedetent constantly bears upon the end of the link.

. The coupling-pin is formed with a stem, a, and a shoulder, to, on itslower end, and is connected by said stem to the end of a lever, E,pivoted to a bracket, F, beneath the platform of the car, and extendingup through a slot in the floor of the platform, and terminating in ahandle, G, which passes through a slot, b, in the guard-rail H, and bywhich the lever is operated to uncouple. A coiled lever-. spring, J, isconnected to a bracket, L, bolted to the top of the platform, and by thestraight or lever part J said spring is connected to the handle G of thelever E, so as to exert its force to maintain the lever E and its pin Kin coupled position, and the guard-rail slot 1) is provided withnotches 1) b into which the lever catches when the pin is either coupledor uncoupled, as in Figs. 1, 3, and 5. The pin-connecting'end of thelever is provided with a slot, 0, formed by means of a strap, a, rivetedto the end of said lever, as shown in 'Figs. 2, 3, and 4., so as toobtain a positive connection of the lever and pin and accommodate theare described by said lever in moving the pin. A link-connection, 0shown in Fig. 8, however, will give the same action; but I prefer theslotted connection, as it moves the pin with less tendency to bind inthe guide-openin gs of the draw-head. I In uncoupling the cars the pinis drawn down by the lever until its upper end passes below the lowerside of the slide-detent B, which is immediately forced out above thetop of the pin and against a shoulder, d, in the draw-head, and in thisposition the pin is held, bearing upward with considerable force againstthe slide-detent, by the action of the lever-spring J, attached to thehand-lever E, while the slide-detent is pressed forward by the interiorspring, M, so that these two forces cooperate to keep the pin in safeposition for automatic coupling.

The guard-rail notch b serves to limit the descent of the pin andprevent coupling when not required, while the notch b serves, inconnection with the spring J, to hold the pin secure when coupled. Thisarrangement ofcoupling-pin avoids thenccessity of havingan opening inthe platform, and both the pin and the detent are covered and areprevented from freezing tight within the dran head, as water cannot dripthrough the platform into these parts, as the upper opening in thedraw-head is covered.

The slotted strap end 0 of the lever is secured to the couplingpin stemat, between the shoulder a. and a loose button, a held on the stem by apin, so that the slot 0 allows a free movement to the coupling-pin andto the lever.

The spring J has volute coils at itsconnection with the bracket L, and.terminates in a lever-arm or straight part, J, by the side of thehand-lever E, thus giving a stronger and more durable spring, andconnectingit directly at a point of the hand-lever to give the besteffect in holding the lever in coupled position.

Instead of the hub-bracket L for the leverspring, shown in Figs. 1, 3,and 5, the open bracket-connection shown in Fig. 9 may be used, in whichthe volute end of the spring is looked through a hole and against theinner side of said open bracket.

The flaring mouth of the draw-head terminates in a close seat or socketfor the couplinglink, so as to form, when coupled, a stiffconnection--that is, allowing the link horizontal or side play-butprevent the link from being driven entirely into the draw-head.

The draw-head is secured in a manner not to allow it to have any play,being firm in its housings. I prefer to use a link with its sides closedand strapped together in the middle, and for difference in platformheights it is bent as shown in my said patent. The draw-head does notextend beyond the end of the platform, but is set back, and a strap, P,secured to the platform, embraces and supports the front end of thedraw-head. The link has sufficient play in the draw-heads to allow theplatforms of the cars being coupled to come together upon curved pointsof contact, as shown in Fig. 5, whether the cars are moving in line orupon a bend in the track, as the draw-heads do not come in contact, butthe force of the contact is borne first by the yielding followers 0through the link acting in its seat within the draw-head and back of thepin against the followers.

Forfreight-cars thehand-lever and its spring are arranged beneath theplatform, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, in which case the spring is securedto the under side of the platform, and

the hand-lever is straight and extends out to one side, so as to beeasily reached without requiring the person to go between the cars touncouple them and by a suitable connection from the end of said lever tothe top of the car the trainman can uncouple any car at pleasure fromthe top and secure it so without coming down, as heretofore, while thelever for passenger-cars is curved in the form of an L, and has a fixedpivot at the bend and at a point a little above the lower side of thedrawhead, so that its shortest slotted end will extend beneath the sameand have a free action over the stem of the coupling-pin, while thehandle end of said lever will stand up through the slotted guard-rail,and thereby give a direct leverage action to the coupling-pin. In thisparticular the form of the hand-lever is important, both in connectionwith said pin and in its connection with avolutelever-spring locatedabove the platform.

I am aware that prior to my invention carcouplings have been made with acoupling-pin adapted to be coupled and uncoupled from beneaththe-draw-head by means of alever passing up through the platform and aspring to hold such lever and its connected pin in coupled position. Itherefore do not claim, broadly, such an arrangement of coupling-pin,nor its combination with an operating lever and spring. Nor do I claim,broadly, a slidedetent in the draw-head for holding the coupling-pin inposition for being coupled, but only in the described combination with acouplingpin adapted for being coupled and uncoupled beneath thedraw-head.

I claim-- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the curvedhand-lever E, having a fixed pivoted connection beneath the platform, adirect connection by its shortest end with the lower end of thecoupling-pin K, and its longest end extending up through the guard-railH, substantially as described, of the slide-detent B of the draw-headand the volute lever-spring J J, arranged above the platformandconnected to the handle end of said pivoted lever,

'as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination,in a car-coupling, of the coupling-pin K, arrangedfor being coupled and uncoupled from beneath the draw-head,an d thecurved hand-lever E, having a fixed pivot beneath the platform, andprovided with the slotted end a, connected to the stem at on the lowerend of the coupling-pin, for free action both of the lever and the pin,as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

W. H. WARD.

Witnesses:

A. E. H. J OHNSON, J. W. HAMILTON JOHNSON.

